Title of Initiative / Project
Scintillating science - learning through discovery
Name of Organiser
Ash C.E.V.C. Primary School, Yeovil
Start and ending date of the Initiative
2011-2013
Was the initiative carried out in the framework of a funded project?
Yes
Funding Programme
Comenius multilateral partnerships
Title of the project
SCINTILLATING SCIENCE - LEARNING THROUGH DISCOVERY
Promoter
Ash C.E.V.C. Primary School, Yeovil
Project number
2011-1-GB1-COM06-10595
Type of deliverables
Online course, Video, Didactical resource
Language of the deliverable
Italian, Polish, Other EU, Spanish, English
Target Group
Teachers, Students
Description of the initiative
'Scintillating Science - Learning through Discovery,' is a project based around the scientific enquiry element of the primary science curriculum. The project will be divided into five sections: Habitats and the Environment, Humans, Earth and Space, Materials and Forces. Within each section there will be 10 open ended questions such as: 'Are taller people faster runners?', and 'Can you make water flow uphill?'. Partner schools will be able to select questions from each section. Their approaches and results will be uploaded into folders on a new eTwinning project site for other partner schools to compare and use as starting points for discussions and further enquiries. Students and staff from the partner schools will also communicate by video conferencing, email and a regular project newsletter. At the end of each of the 5 sections there will be a relevant task for each school to complete, e.g. 'Organise a sale of plants or food that you have grown' and 'Organise a fashion show wearing items made from recycled materials'. There will also be a project meeting at the end of each section where the host school will organise a 'science fair' based on the activities of the section, for visiting staff and students from the partner schools. The human section of the project will be timed to coincide with the Olympic games to be hosted in England. At the end of the project we will organise a larger final 'science fair' where students from a number of the partner schools will come together to demonstrate various approaches to the scientific enquiries. The practical nature of this project is specifically designed to engage all students, including especially those with special needs, regardless of language, ethnic backgrounds, culture and gender.
More Information
Strengths
Animating/scintillating the teaching of science through challenging topics
Using state of the art technology to stimulate students’ interest in science
Using state of the art technology to stimulate students’ collaboration and communication with their peers
Using open-ended questions to stimulate students’ curiosity and scientific enquiry
Collaborating on an international scale in order to exchange ideas and experiences
Weaknesses
Teachers’ time to prepare the open ended questions, open ended question sessions, science fair
Teachers’ Opinion
Strengths
High transferability potential in the classroom
Involving students in the scientific enquiry processes
Empowering students in the own learning process by involving them in the 'science fair' where they will demonstrate various approaches to the scientific enquiries
Stimulates creativity, critical thinking
Weaknesses
Takes time to prepare the open question sessions
Takes time to prepare the science fair
Students’ Opinion
Strengths
Attractive and accessible
Involving students in the enquiry process
Involving students in the fair where they have to present their enquiry approaches used
Challenging topics
Weaknesses
Takes time to organize of the fair (students need very good teamwork skills)
Comments on this Relevant initiatives
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Date: 2015.02.26
Posted by Otilia Mironeanu (Romania)
As teachers we have to be prepared to meet the needs of children cognitively, socially and physically through activities that are designed to be developmentally appropriate. Learning through discovery it is a motivating method of personalizing the learning experiences, allowing individuals the opportunity to experiment and discover for themselves. This should become a fundamental teaching method in the educational process, especially for the science subjects, which are sometimes difficult to be understood by pupils. So the project idea is very good and inspiring, it contains a lot of challenging topics with high transferability potential in my classroom.
